True Love Never Dies
by HogwartsHeadGirl1
Summary: What happens when the man that used to mean the world to you suddenly comes back from the dead...but you have a fiancee that is willing to give you the world? True love never really dies..or does it? harryhermdraco who will her heart choose in the end?
1. Default Chapter

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own any part of the phenomenon that IS Harry Potter...unfortunately...some people have all the luck!

**_Author's Note:_** Flames will be used to roast marshmallows which in turn will be used to make smores. ;)

It was dark and Hermione didn't know where she was. The last think she remembered was being in an old-abandoned castle, fighting through the death eaters to get to Voldemort, along with the res of "Dumbledore's Army". Her, Harry, and Ron had been leading the way, hoping that their newest ally would show up soon to give them a little help. Hermione then remembered more death eaters showing up instead, and as she was getting ready to duel, she was hit from behind by a spell. Now she was sitting on a cold stone floor in a dark, damp, dreary room.

"What happened?" she wondered as she tried to raise her left arm, but she quickly decided that was a bad idea as pain shot from her fingertips all the way through to her shoulder. She then felt blood trickling down her cheek, and she reached up with her other hand to wipe it away.

As she started to stand up and try to find a way out, a cold gravelly voice came from somewhere near her left ear, "Don't waste your energy."

"Who's there?" Hermione gasped

"No matter to you"

"What are you going to do to me?"

"I wont be doing anything to you, it's up to the Dark Lord when he wants to kill you." the voice hissed.

Hermione was about to respond when there was a loud bang and some light finally came into the room. This cause Hermione to jump and shield her eyes. Suddenly she was jerked up from the floor, thankfully by her good arm,

"Come on mudblood, time to go.".

She was dragged out of the room and down the hallway by yet another death eater, but this one seemed familiar to her, even under the hood. 

When they had gone up a countless number of stairs and turned down every possible corridor, she was pushed up against the wall and the man before her took his hood off.

"Draco, you came!" Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

At the sight of her smile, Draco's eyes warmed and he couldn't help but smile back as he said, "Of course, I couldn't let you guys have all the glory.".

Hermione just shook her head as he continued, "Ron, Neville, and Ginny are down this hallyway finishing up the last of the death eaters. Go help them, then get out of here as fast as you can. I'm going to help Harry and we will meet you later."

"Oh be careful Draco!" Hermione said, scared to see him leave.

"Don't worry about me, just take care of yourself." He said quietly as he pulled her into a quick embrace and then turned to run up yet another flight of stairs.

Hermione turned to walk down the hallway, when a loud beeping sound seemed to be coming from everywhere and all of a sudden she was sitting bolt upright in bed, breathing hard, wondering why she was having these dreams all over again. 


	2. It Does Not Do To Dwell on the Past

**_Disclaimer- Still don't own anything even remotely related to Harry Potter. Although it sure would be nice to own Draco *wink wink*_**

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**_Anyways, hope you enjoy this next chapter...I know theres alot of flashbackiness right now...but I promise the story will pick up in this next chapter. and please please PLEASE start reviewing! if you like it tell me! if you dont...well you can still tell me...but NICELY =)_**

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**_On with the show!~_**

Hermione slowly looked around her room and was comforted by the pale yellow walls and the blue paisley curtains framing her window that the soft morning sunlight was beginning to pour through. Just then the phone rang, so she reached over to her night stand and answered, "Hullo?"

"Good morning love."

"Good morning Harry"

"Darling what's wrong?" Harry asked, sensing the stress in her voice

"Nothing...I just woke up" Hermione said, not wanting to tell Harry about the dream.

"Alright, well I have bad news....I won't be able to make it to dinner tonight. I got an owl from Dumbledore that requested I come to Hogwarts today."

"Oh...well that's alright, we can just reschedule for tomorrow then."

"Sounds wonderful....I'm sorry Hermione."

"Rubbish, I don't mind, tell Dumbledore I said 'Hello'."

"I will....and I will phone you tomorrow."

"Alright"

"I love you"

"Love you too....bye."

"Bye"

Hermione hung up the phone and looked down at the very pretty 2 carat diamond ring on her left hand. Harry had proposed to her about a month ago, on August 28th, which also happened to be their 3 year anniversary. Her and Harry had started dating after their graduation from Hogwarts and the defeat of Voldemort. The thought of Voldemort made her think about the dream again. She hadn't dreamed about that day in over a year and it had been so strong last night, she felt like she had lived it all over again. She could even feel Draco's arms around her as he had given her a quick hug. Tears started to form in her eyes as Hermione looked at the clock, "8:15! I'm gonna be late!" Hermione thought as she jumped out of bed and scrambled to get ready.

With a *pop*, Hermione apparated to her office at St. Mungo's promptly at 9am. He was a very successful healer and she absolutely loved her job. She even got to work with one of her best friends Ginny Weasley, as she was a healer at St. Mungo's as well. Hermione walked out of her office and to the front desk, grabbed some charts, and got to work. When lunchtime rolled around Hermione was glad for the break and went to meet Ginny at a pub down the street.

"What's on your mind Hermione? You're being awfully quiet." Ginny said to Hermione after about 5 minutes of just sitting and eating their steak and ale pies. Hermione put down her fork and looked up at Ginny, "I had another dream last night."

"You mean about the day of the battle?"

"Yeah....but it was different this time."

"How?"

"I don't know....it just seemed more real...and I really only dreamed about Draco rescuing me."

The two girls were silent for a moment when Hermione's eyes began to glisten with tears.

"Oh 'Mione, it will be alright....please don't cry"

"I can't help it Gin, it was just so hard. I mean....I got him to join our side and leave his family, he helped us out immensely, he helped ME out when I needed him the most...and now he's gone...all because of me."

"Hermione! It was not your fault! You've got to stop this."

"Easier said than done..."

"Mione there is absolutely nothing you can do to change the past, it's over and done with. No amount of tears will bring Draco back to you...I mean to us."

"To me?"

"Well Hermione....it was pretty obvious that you two had a special connection, well to me anyways, everyone else just noticed the friendship and took it for what it was, I always thought that you had a deeper connection."

"But-"

"No but's...I'm sorry to bring it up. Now you have to move on with your life. Your Hermione Granger, at 21 you are one of the best Healers St. Mungo's has ever seen, *next to me of course*" Ginny nudged her friend as she said this,"And besides...soon your going to be Mrs. Harry Potter! And if that doesn't cheer you up I don't know what will!"

A faint smile played upon Hermione's lips at Ginnys last statement. Harry was a great man and he loved her very much, he was everything a girl could ask for, and she was the lucky one that he wanted to marry. "Oh look at the time! We need to get back to work!" Ginny exclaimed. So the two girls got up and headed back to work. 

Later that evening Hermione was in her flat preparing dinner. She took her food into the living room and made herself comfortable on the couch as she flipped on the television. She sat there for awhile, eating and watching tv, without realizing what was actually on, because her mind had returned to the dream from the previous night. She started to think about what else had happened that day almost 3 and a half years ago.

**~Flashback~**

Hermione had run down the hallway and found Ron and Ginny and Neville. With a few of Hermione's spells and curses the death-eaters had been quickly defeated, then the three turned to look at Hermione.

"Hermione! Are you ok??? Your arm looks broken!" Ginny yelled.

"Yeah, and your face is looking wicked rough." Ron said with concern.

"I'm fine" Hermione said, choosing to ignore the way Ron's observation had sounded, "thanks to Draco." Just then, the room seemed like it was at the enter of a big earthquake and there were horrible sounds coming from somewhere above them. "Hurry! We have to get out of here!" Hermione said as the four of them raced towards the main entrance of the castle. They made it outside and stumbled into the forest. Soon afterwards a deafening rumble was heard and a huge cloud of dust rose up above the trees. Everyone immediately began to think the worst, but then to their surprise Draco made his way into the forest carrying the limp form of Harry Potter. The scar on Harry's forehead looked like a fresh wound, not one that had been given to him 18 years ago but other than that he looked alright. Ginny ran to him and began to check him for other injuries, as she was the best out of the students at healing. As she was doing so Harry sat up, to everyones relief, and Draco turned his full attention to Hermione.

"Are you alright Hermione?"

"Yes, but how are you doing?"

"Don't worry about me, let me see your arm." he replied. When he touched her arm she felt a bit light-headed. Not because of the pain, but because of the tingling that went up and down her spine when he touched her. Without her even realizing it, Draco healed her arm and was about to clean the cut on her cheek when he grimaced and all of a sudden collapsed to the ground.

"Draco!" Hermione exclaimed

"I'm fine" she heard him gasp out as she knelt beside him.

"No your not"

"Yes I am, don't worry" he whispered, propping himself up against a tree. 

Draco reached up and recited a spell as he caressed Hermione's cheek and immediately it felt better. Without knowing what they were doing, Draco cupped Hermione's chin and brought her face towards him. Hermione closed her eyes as she inched closer to Draco and al of a sudden their lips met and everything was perfectly alright for that one moment. They both pulled back and looked into each others eyes. Both pairs were dark and full of emotion that even they didn't know if they could understand. 

Pain from deep inside Draco's stomach caused him to double over and the look in Hermione's eyes quickly changed to concern for her friend.

"Draco, please let me help you."

"Just help me to get somewhere."

"Ok, I can get you to St. Mungo's soon and-" Hermione was cut off

"No, there's a port-key I need to get to that's not far from here."

"But, you need to get to a hospital Draco."

"Please Hermione....trust me."he said, a pleading look in his eyes. Hermione hesitated, then finally gave in, she sighed, "Ok". She helped Draco stand up and they made their way to a clearing about 30 feet away. Draco looked around, then made his way to an old rusty cage.

"Draco?" Hermione questioned. Draco turned to look at her, "Hermione, thank you for everything you've done, it means so much to me.....YOU mean so much to me. Don't forget that.

"But Draco-"

"Take care of yourself Hermione." He hugged her, then picked up the cage by it's handle, and was gone.

"Goodbye Draco" Hermione whispered to only the air around her as the tears began to fall.

Hermione was brought back to reality when she felt the tears rolling down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away and got up to clean the dishes, and anything else she could to keep her mind busy.

**_There! Now go review so it will give me more motivation to update sooner!_**


	3. A Lovely Evening

**_DISCLAIMER!_**_ No I don't own Harry Potter...just my own plotline_

_A/N: Ok guys! I am sooooooo sorry that this has taken me so long to update…I have a good 4 chapters or so written, I just have to type them up and post them, but for now here's a little something until I get them posted. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!! If I don't get the reviews then I am just going to give up and not bother posting anymore, so please let me know what you think , or any suggestions you might have. All I ask is that you please be nice! Haha anyways….here ya go! =)_

The next day Hermione kept herself fairly busy at work and had managed not to think about anything but her patients. Now she was home getting ready to go out to dinner with Harry. She looked at herself in the mirror and besides the faint circles under her eyes, thanks to her recent restless nights, she was positively beautiful. Her now sleek brown hair was pulled back in a French twist with several curled tendrils falling down and framing her face. Her makeup was enough to make her big brown eyes stand out and her lips were stained a raspberry red. She was wearing a black strapless dress angled down and ending at her knees, and showing off her curves.

While she was admiring herself in the mirror, the doorbell rang. She hurried to answer it and found Harry standing there in a black suit with a burgundy shirt and tie. His hair disheveled as always.

"Damn, he's handsome" Hermione thought as Harry came in and bent down to kiss her.

"Good evening Beautiful" Harry whispered in her ear.

"Hey Sexy", Hermione responded.

"Shall we?" Harry asked as he held out his arm.

Hermione slipped her arm through his, "let's go".

They apparated to an amazing restaurant that was Hermione's favorite. The entranceway was marvelous with a high ceiling that showed a night sky with a full golden moon and billions of twinkling little stars. The walls were gold with silent waterfalls cascading down them into the floor. The floor itself was crystal, so that it looked like a pool of clear, blue sparkling water. The exotic flowers around the hostess stand were full of fairy lights. When Harry and Hermione were seated, violin music began playing softly in the background. It truly was a magical place.

The waiter came to take their orders and before Hermione could utter a word Harry said, "We will both have the filet.". Hermione opened her mouth to remind Harry she preferred chicken to steak, but he looked at her and smiled and she meekly closed her mouth and smiled back. "oh well", she thought, "I can eat it…it won't kill me.". They sat there in silence for a few moments until Hermione's curiosity got the best of her, "So what did Dumbledore want yesterday?"

"Oh….he just wanted to talk with me. Catch up on things…you know…".

Hermione got the distinct feeling he wasn't telling her the truth, but she didn't push it any further.

After dinner, they went back to Hermione's flat.

"I had a good time tonight, thank you." Hermione said as they stood in front of her door. Harry looked down at her and smiled, "your welcome love.". He leaned down, as Hermione stood on her tiptoes, for a kiss. She wrapped her arms around Harry's neck as he snaked his arms around her waist and the kiss deepened. Finally Hermione pulled away, "Goodnight Harry."

"Aw 'Mione, you're a tease.'

Hermione just smiled and Harry let out a big sigh, "Goodnight 'Mione."

He gave her one more quick kiss, then disappeared with a pop.

Hermione sighed as she walked into her flat. "Why can't I ever let things go farther? I mean, I've known him for 10 years! He's my best friend…I…love him…I really do." These thoughts plagued her as she made her way upstairs to her bedroom, "so why do I always push him away? Why do I always get nervous when I think about our life together?" She had talked to Ginny about these things already and Ginny had told her it was 'cold feet'. "She's right," Hermione thought, "I'm just being retarded. Harry is perfect, we make sense together…and he loves me" Hermione finally shook her head, trying to clear all thoughts from her mind as she got ready for bed. She crawled under the covers and was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

I know it was short…but I PROMISE lots more is to come…and it's gonna start getting very interesting! ;-)

Go REVIEW….NOW! So that I will update faster!=)


	4. The Wedding

Hermione was walking down the aisle toward Harry.  Everyone was there watching her and all she was thinking about was how far it was to keep smiling.  She didn't know why, but her heart felt heavy and she wasn't sure that she should be doing this.  As she was about to reach Harry, she felt a tug on her stomach and suddenly the church faded away and she was back in the forest where Draco disappeared after the final battle.  She looked around wondering what was going on.  She felt a hand on her shoulder and heard a quiet voice in her ear, "Hermione."  Hermione spun around.  "Draco!" she cried as she flung her arms around his neck.  He gently wrapped her up in a hug taking her all in; the smell of her hair, the feel of her body, and the sparkle in her eyes.  Meanwhile, she was doing the same; she could smell the wonderful crisp scent that was Draco.  She felt the softness of his hair brushing her fingertips.  Then she pulled back and looked deep into his breathtaking blue eyes, all of the coldness and storminess that they once held was gone.  Now they were bright and they lit up when he smiled.  "I've missed you," Hermione whispered.  "I'm sorry it took so long for me to come back," Draco said.  He was leaning down to kiss her when Hermione's eyes shot opened.


	5. Hidden Meaning

_Hermione's eyes shot opened…_

She saw nothing but pitch black.  And she realized she was in her room and it had all been just another dream.  She sat up, sighed, and punched her pillow and tried to get the dream out of her head.  She looked over at the clock; realized she wasn't going to be getting back to sleep.  So she decided to get ready and go in to work early.

It was 8:30 and Hermione was sitting in her office enjoying a cup of coffee, when there was a knock on her door.  "Come in!"

"You're here early," Ginny said as she walked in.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep so I figured I could come in and get a head start on this paperwork," Hermione said as she pointed to a stack of papers on her desk.

Ginny plopped down in a chair in front of Hermione's desk.  "Why couldn't you sleep?"

"Another dream."

"Oooh…was it bad?"

Hermione just stared blankly at Ginny for a second thinking about and analyzing the dream for the first time.  "Yes," was her hesitant reply "but not really."

Ginny looked confused until Hermione started explaining.

"It was mine and Harry's wedding and I was walking down the aisle but then all of a sudden I was in the forest and Draco was there and we…we almost kissed!"

"Oh!" was all Ginny could say.

"But something feels weird this time, like something is going on…"

"Hermione, it was just a dream."

"I know," Hermione sighed "maybe I'm just being paranoid, but Harry met with Dumbledore the other day and wouldn't tell me what was going on…I guess it's just my over-active imagination."

Ginny laughed, "yeah Hermione, that's it.  You've always been the imaginative one of us."

Hermione grinned, "don't you have work to do, Ginny?"

"Nope, Friday's have been slow lately.  I guess no one wants to be stuck here for the weekend."

Hermione laughed, "I guess so."

"So what are you doing tonight?"

"I don't know yet, why?"

"I was thinking a bunch of us should get together in Hogsmeade tonight; you, me, Harry, Nevile, and Ron."

"That would be fun, I'll tell Harry."

"Okay, well I guess I'm going to go wander and see if anyone is in dire need of my wonderful abilities yet."

"Alright, see you later!"

"Bye!"


	6. Happy Hour

Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine. ( unfortunately

A/N: I am so sorry it has taken me so long to post this! I have had soooo much school work to do its ridiculous! But we have a day off so I'm hoping to get a few chapters typed up so you will have something to read and REVIEW! Thanks for sticking with me and I know this chapter is short, but hopefully I can make up for it with the next chapter which should be up either today or tomorrow! Love to all of you!

It continued to be a very slow day, so when 3 o' clock rolled around Hermione called it a day and started her weekend a little early. When she got to her flat, she sat down in her study and took out some parchment and wrote a quick note to Harry to tell him about dinner that night. She then tied the letter to Athene, her owl's, leg and watched her fly off to deliver the letter to Harry. She decided that a bubble bath was in order to relieve some of her newly acquired stress, so she headed for her bathroom and as the bath was being filled with sweet smelling bubbles, Hermione put on a muggle cd that always seemed to relax her.

After close to an hour of soaking, Hermione got out of the tub and began to get ready for the evening. She was in a great mood, excited by the thought of reuniting with all of her old school friends and was humming to herself. Just as she stepped into her bathrobe there was a tapping on her bedroom window. Hermione walked over to it and let Athene back in. She took the letter from the owls leg and gave her a few treats. Hermione unrolled the parchment and read what Harry had written.

" Sounds wonderful darling, and I'll be bringing someone with me from work that I'm sure you all would like to meet. See you at 6!

Love, Harry"

Hermione figured Harry must be bringing a new colleague from the ministry with him. She placed the note on her night stand and glanced at the clock, "Oh no!," Hermione thought, "it's already 5 o'clock!". Hermione hurried to her closet and picked out her favorite pair of jeans threw on a white tank and her pink tweed jacket she picked out her tweed style stilettos that matched her jacket and glanced in the mirror. The tank was low enough and the jacket tight enough to show off her womanly features but classy enough for an after work get together. She put on a bit of powder and blush, some brown and cream eyeshadows that brought out the chocolate hues in her eyes, a touch of mascara, and a sheer pink lipgloss. She then tapped the top of her head with her wand and he light brown hair was dried, straightened and shiny. Hermione had perfected this little trick awhile ago and was extremely pleased with the results.

It was a quarter til when Hermione heard a pop and then Ginny's voice calling out to her. Hermione took one last look in the mirror then ran downstairs to meet Ginny.

"Wow, Mione, that's a great outfit! You look cute!"

"Thanks Gin, you look great too."

"Thanks" Ginny said looking down at her deep turquoise blue v-neck shirt that brought out the turquoise in her eyes, and the black skirt that stopped a few inches above her knees.

"Should we go ahead?" Hermione asked.

"Sure, we can walk around Hogsmeade and kill some time."

"Alright", and with two pops the two witches were standing at the edge of the wizarding town. They walked down the streets reminiscing about their Hogsmeade weekends during their time at Hogwarts.

They finally reached The Three Broomsticks right at 6pm. They walked in to see Neville already there. He waved to them and they made their way over to the table. They all exchanged hugs and as soon as the girls took their seats they saw Ron walk through the door. Another round of hugs and handshakes ensued and finally the four of them were seated. They were starting to catch up on daily life when Hermione caught two figures out of the corner of her eye making their way towards the table, she looked up with a smile on her face, but as soon as she saw who it was her mouth dropped open and her eyes grew extremely wide. The chatter came to an abrupt halt when Ron, Ginny, and Neville all saw who Hermione was looking at.

OK....now go review because if I don't get AT LEAST 10 reviews I don't think I will post the next chapter, because it will make me think noone is interested in this story. Thanks! )


	7. Blast From the Past

Disclaimer:Still don't own anything but the plot

A/N: See! I told ya I would get this chapter out fast! (Ok so I didn't wait for the 10 reviews...but only because I felt productive and wanted to type some more, but the NEXT chapter will NOT be posted until I am satisfied with the amount of reviews I have gotten. A MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR_ THANK YOU!!!!_ goes out too all of those that reviewed my last chapter! And those who have reviewed period- ADepressedSpooty, surfngurl, Monkeys rok my sox, and crazyginnygirl) ok so on with the next chapter!

Harry was walking up to the table with a grin on his face, and walking beside him was none other than Draco Malfoy himself!

Hermione's P.O.V.

'Holy Cricket! That....that can't be him, it's not possible. My goodness he has gotten even better looking than I remembered!' Hermione blinked a few times and finally managed to squeak out "Dr-Draco..."

Draco's P.O.V.

Time seemed to stand still as soon as he saw her. 'Merlin, she's gorgeous' and when she looked up and their eyes met he felt something flutter in his stomach. He heard her melodious voice say his name, 'Oh, how I've wanted to hear that for so long' he quickly snapped out of his thoughts though as everyone started speaking at once, bombarding him with questions.

Everyone had finally calmed down and after ordering their drinks there was a second of silence until the questions started up again. Draco had his trademark smirk in place, but it wasn't cold and sinister anymore, it was warm and showed the fact that he didn't mind the attention.

In fact he was rather enjoying everyone making such a big deal over him.

"Where have you been?" seemed to be the question everyone wanted answered first.

Harry looked across the table at Hermione and smiled, figuring she would be happy with him for bringing a friend back into her life. She still looked a bit over-whelmed. "Maybe if everyone was quiet, then he could tell us." Harry said. There was an immediate hush.

"Well, to make a long story short, I portkeyed home right after the battle. The family healer took care of my wounds and then I had to take care of my mother." His eyes dropped as he mentioned his mum and Hermione saw a flash of sadness in them. "She needed to be taken to a healer that specialized in removing dark curses and the best of the best worked in America, so that's where we went, but it never helped. I was there for almost two years with her. After she passed on I had to get away from everyone and everything that I once knew. So I bought a house in Italy and was there for about a year, but I wasn't happy....you guys and Dumbledore were the closest ones to family and friends I had left. So I went to Hogwarts one day to see Dumbledore, he called Potter here to Hogwarts to tell him everything. Potter has arranged for me to assist him in Auror training teaching dark magic defenses. Then this afternoon I got invited to this lovely little get-together and so here I am...nothing terribly exciting really."

"How come you never sent us word that you were ok? All these years we thought you were dead!" Hermione suddenly blurted out.

Everyone looked to Draco waiting for his answer. Draco looked at Hermione, his expression matching the unreadable one on her face, but he could see the hurt in her eyes. "I don't know....... I had what seemed to be more pressing matters to deal with at the time."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment until Neville stood up and said "Well here's to the D.A. back together again!". Everyone smiled and raised their glasses, Hermione and Draco both practically chugging their Fire Whiskey.

Small talk resumed and everything seemed normal, however, Ginny noticed Hermione was particularly quiet and she also noticed the glances Draco would throw in Hermione's direction which she would quickly avoid.

"Excuse me for a minute" Hermione said suddenly as she stood and walked away from the table.

After she had walked out of sight Draco excused himself as well. The group had become so loud and rambunctious that noone really noticed Draco leave.

Draco made his way to the back of the restaurant and saw Hermione walking just in front of him. "Hermione!" he called out, she turned around and at the sight of Draco she felt her whole body tense up.

"Hey" she said, trying to sound calm and casual.

"Are you ok?" Draco asked, sounding concerned.

'I'm fine" Hermione replied.

"Ok". Silence engulfed them for what seemed like an eternity, finally Hermione looked down at her feet and muttered "I'm glad your alive...I'm glad you're here tonight".

Relief flooded Draco's body as he swept forward and pulled Hermione into a hug. "I'm glad I'm here too....I've thought about you these past few years." Hermione hugged him back and smiled, it felt good to be in the arms of her long lost friend. The one that knew her better than anyone back in 7th year even though they had only been friends for a short amount of time.

Draco pulled back, "let's have lunch tomorrow, we have a lot to catch up on."

"Alright"

"Splendid, meet me at the Leaky Cauldron at noon"

"I'll be there" Hermione said.

Draco smiled then turned and headed back to the table. Hermione leaned up against the wall trying to sort out all of her feelings. Finally she took a deep breath and went back out to join her friends.

"Mione!" Ron called out, obviously feeling the effects of the fire whiskey, "what took you so long?" Hermione couldn't help but giggle at her friends' slight drunkenness, "long line in the loo" she answered as she took her seat again between him and Ginny. She glanced across the table to Harry who smiled at her and she smiled back, then looked to Draco who was deep in conversation with Neville.

'Amazing,' she thought, ' after all these years he's back, and of all the people, he's making friends with Neville Longbottom'.

The group continued to drink and talk well into the night, but Draco was the first to leave.

During a lull in the conversations, he stood up and said, "Well it was great to see all of you again, but I must get home, I'm bloody exhausted."

Neville clapped Draco on the back, "just don't disappear on us again!" he said.

Harry smiled, "I'll see you in the office on Monday"

Ron just nodded, "Good to see you again Malfoy"

Hermione and Ginny both waved, "Bye Draco" they chorused, and with that Malfoy turned and walked out of sight.

Hermione looked down at her watch, "It's almost 1am!" she said, surprised at how fast the time had flown by. She and Ginny both decided to head home while the boys stayed to have a little 'guy time'. Ron hugged his sister and the scooped Hermione into a big hug, "Good to see you again Mione"

"You too Ron"

She then gave Neville and Ginny quick hugs then turned to Harry,

"Goodnight Darling, I'll come over tomorrow when Ron and I get back from the quidditch game"

Harry said as he pulled Hermione in for a kiss. "Alright"

Harry laid a tender kiss on Hermione's lips, "I love you"

"Love you too" Hermione said as she smiled at him then pulled out of the embrace. "You boys have fun!"

She apparated with a pop and when she popped into her living room Ginny was waiting for her. Hermione didn't even have to ask why she was there,

"Can you believe it?!?" Ginny exclaimed as soon as Hermione appeared in front of her "This is crazy!"

"I know" Hermione replied softly as she sat down by Ginny on the couch.

"He looked good" Ginny stated, watching her friends reactions carefully.

The image of Draco walking towards their table popped into Hermione's mind. The way his white blond hair fell onto his face, those chiseled cheekbones, the toned body underneath the khaki pants and black button-down shirt, but what mesmerized Hermione the most were his eyes.

When they were still in school it seemed noone could tell when Draco was truthful or how he felt. But Hermione always knew, she could tell my his eyes. Those gray-blue orbs told her everything.

She noticed Ginny's scrutinizing look and tried to remain non-chalant, "yeah, he has gotten taller and I guess he';s a little more built."

"Don't deny it Mione, he's hotter now than he was in school!"

Hermione laughed at Ginny's matter-of-fact tone, but she had to agree with he, he was definitely as handsome as they come.

"He's alright" Hermione said aloud as she shrugged her shoulders, "we're meeting for lunch tomorrow" she said casually.

"Really!? Does Harry know?"

"No, I'll tell him tomorrow"

"Wait, does Draco know about Harry?"

"I don't know" Hermione said as she looked down at her engagement ring, "but I don't see why that matters, it's just lunch, to catch up on things."

"But I saw how he looked at you tonight when he left."

"You imagining things Gin"

"If you say so"

"I do, and I also say it's time for me to get in bed, so goodnight Ginny! I'll call you tomorrow"

"Ok, night Mione" Ginny said then disapparated, leaving Hermione to get ready for bed.

The whole time she was going through her nightly routine of changing, cleansing, moisturizing, pulling her hair back and brushing her teeth she was still trying to convince herself tonight had actually happened.

"He's really here" she thought over and over again. She finally crawled into her bed and fell into a surprisingly dreamless sleep.

Well....I tried to make it a little longer! I have 14 pages written already for the next chapters, but I don't htink I will be motivated to post all 14 unless I get TONS of reviews! so please read, review, and recommend my story to others and let ur friends read and review as well!!! THANKS SO MUCH! hope you are enjoying this story so far!


	8. Reconnecting

Hermione awoke that Saturday morning to the sound of her alarm going off. She rolled over and wondered why on Earth she had set her alarm for 9 'o clock on a Saturday morning. Then last night's events came flooding back to her and she got an anxious feeling deep in her gut. She couldn't believe that Draco was alive! After years of letting them all think he was gone for good he had suddenly come back into their lives. She was happy, of course, that he was back but a part of her was a little mad at him for not once getting word out to her that he was ok. Still, he was back and for that she was grateful. Sure Ginny was now her best friend, but nobody had ever known Hermione better than Draco. Her thoughts drifted to the first night back at Hogwarts for their 7th year.

Hermione was at a table in the Library reading the day's 'Daily Prophet'. The big story was that Lucius Malfoy, who had been captured by the Ministry of Magic nearly 8 months prior, had finally been sentenced to a life in Azkaban. The article suggested that this was the beginning of the end for Voldemort and his Death Eaters and soon they would all be defeated for good. Naturally there was a bit at the end about how "The Chosen One, Harry Potter" would single handedly manage to do this.

Hermione chuckled out loud and shook her head. "If only everyone knew how much Harry hated that title, and that he actually doesn't do everything 'single-handedly'" She thought.

"Something funny about the news Granger?"

Hermione looked up at the scowling face of Draco Malfoy.

"No" she said simply as she looked back down to continue reading her paper.

"Think it's funny about my father, do you?" Malfoy persisted.

"Actually, I was laughing about something that was written on Harry….and no I don't think what happened to your father is funny. However I do believe he got what was coming to him."

"That makes two of us" Draco replied. As soon as the words had left his mouth he looked taken aback about what he had let slip. His eyes grew wider as he continued to look down at Hermione.

She slowly looked back up at him with a skeptical look on her face. She didn't know what to say to that so she simply continued to stare at him.

"What" He said defensively.

"Nothing…" Hermione trailed off.

"Look, despite what everyone thinks of me, I'm not a bad guy." Draco, for some reason, suddenly felt the need to defend himself.

"I saw the crap my father did, and at first I wanted to follow family tradition. I want to be able to fill my fathers shoes when I was older. Then as I grew older and began to comprehend what terrible things were going on in my very own house I made up my mind that I would never be like him. The way I act here…well, it just comes natural….but I could never follow through on most things." Draco let it all spill out and as he was doing so he wanted to repeatedly slam his head on the table. Not only was he spouting out all of his feelings but it was to one of the three people he had despised most during his time at Hogwarts. Oddly enough though she seemed like the most trust-worthy person he knew. He laughed to himself at the thought of this conversation with Crabbe or Goyle, or even Parkinson for that matter. They would beat the hell out of him for being such a pansy.

"I guess I can understand that" Hermione said after a short pause.

"I know I have a know it all reputation, and students think I'm just trying to show them up. Really it's just because I was an only child and I grew up with my parents friends as my friends as well. I was always in adult conversations and never had too many friends my own age. And contrary to popular belief I don't spend all of my time in here studying…I just like to read…anything. It's a nice break to be able to get lost in someone else's life for awhile."

Neither of the students could believe the conversation they were having. After 6 years of hatred and torturing an unlikely friendship was suddenly forming and the strangest thing to them was the fact that it seemed more natural than anything else ever had.

From that day on, Hermione and Draco became fast friends. They understood each other in a way no one else did. Harry and Ron were understandably upset and more than a bit suspicious, while Draco's friends practically banned him from all of their activities for "Abandoning the Cause". By the end of their last year Hermione and Draco had become inseparable while trying to sort out the new feelings that had started growing between the two of them. Everyone was so focused on other things that nobody gave a second thought to the unlikely pair. Ron had become a star keeper for the Gryffindor quidditch team and was busy with practices. Harry was busy preparing himself for the inevitable confrontation that he knew would come between him and Voldemort. Ginny was busy with her studies, and of course a new boyfriend every week. To escape everyone, Hermione and Draco has started spending their evenings in the Astronomy Tower. That's where they had been the night before the last battle. Where they had been when Draco told her something he had never told anyone else before.

"Hermione…"

"Yeah?"

"I…think...I mean...I know…" Draco stopped and tried to catch his breath.

"'Hermione, I love you."

Hermione looked up into those eyes that she could read so well and saw the love for her in them. She saw everything in those eyes and it made her own tear up a little bit.

"I love you too Draco."

Knowing that he was not the emotional or affectionate type she tilted her head up and gave him a quick but passionate kiss that gave him the butterflies in his stomach that he had come to associate with being around Hermione.

Hermione snapped out of her daydreams and realized she better get out of bed and start getting ready if she was going to make it to the Leaky Cauldron in time.

She quickly showered, brushed her teeth, and put on just a little bit more makeup than usual. Tapped her trusty wand to her head to get her hair to straighten and lie just perfectly then went over to her closet to pick out her outfit. Normally this was not a time consuming part of her morning, but for some reason she had a hard time picking out something to wear. By the time she had settled on a forest green wrap dress, it was time for her to leave. Since Hermione lived in London, she figured she would travel like a muggle and walk over to the Leaky Cauldron.

She arrived right at noon and walked in looking around the dark room. She noticed Draco in the back corner looking lost in his own thoughts. She began walking toward him and he soon noticed her. He stood up as she approached .

"Slytherin colors Granger? I never expected that from you"

She tried to give him a dirty look but only smiled

"For your information Malfoy, I happen to look good in this color"

He smiled and said "That you do. I have to say that you've never looked prettier"

Hermione blushed a little bit as she said, "Thank you."

Draco pulled her chair out for her and then took his place across the table from her.

There was a long silence as both were trying to think of something to say.

Finally Draco broke the silence. "It's really great to see you again Hermione"

"You too Draco…I" Hermione cut the rest of her sentence off. She did not feel like this was the time to bring up everything that had been running through her mind.

"You wanna head into Diagon Alley?" Hermione abruptly said. She needed to get out of this dark room and into the bustling sunlit Alley.

"Sure" He said and they both stood and made their way to the back.

They walked around going in and out of stores and catching up on what had been happening over the past 2 years in Draco's life. When he was done telling her his story he looked over at Hermione. She was getting ready to take a lick of her ice cream cone that they had gotten at Florean Fortiscue's when she noticed him looking at her and she quickly shut her mouth.

"So…you and Potter huh?"

She began looking intently at the ice cream, "Yeah" she said quietly.

"I bet the papers had a field day with that when they found out Hogwarts star pupils had gotten together"

"Well we haven't actually announced our engagement yet, he only proposed a month ago" Hermione answered.

"Well, Congratulations…I hope you two have a very happy life together." Draco said quietly.

"Thanks" Hermione said

They continued walking while they finished their ice cream. They left Diagon Aley and were walking through muggle London to Hermione's flat. Hermione glanced over at him thinking how funny it was that he was fitting in effortlessly in this muggle surrounding when just a few years ago he thought how ridiculous the muggle world had seemed. Now he looked just like anyone else on the street in dark jeans and a dark blue button down that made his eyes stand out. "Those eyes" Hermione thought. She could get lost in them every time she looked in his face.

They reached Hermione's front door and Draco gave her a quick hug.

"I had fun today. We should do it again soon." Draco said releasing her.

"Yeah…we should" Hermione said.

They looked at each other for a brief moment before Draco said "Alright…Ill see you around then"

"Ok…Bye" Hermione walked through the door and closed it pressing her back to it trying to figure out what the nervous, sad feeling in her stomach was.


	9. Reflecting

**Wow! Finally another update...I have to say I'm a little sad about the number of reviews I'm getting. I am a review HO! so please let me know what you think about this story...and any of my others! **

Hermione had cleaned her flat from top to bottom after she got home. It had never been so spotless the entire time she had lived there, but she had to do something, anything to keep her from thinking.

Finally there was nothing left to do so as she sat down at the kitchen table with a glass of water. She looked at the clock on her stove and realized that it was close to midnight and she had not heard from Harry. She assumed the quidditch match had been over for quite some time, but then again it was very much like Harry to forget to think about Hermione when he got caught up in something. To Hermione it seemed that he still thought of her as his and Ron's best friend. The one that was always there to fall back on. The one that would always be there for them when they needed her. Hermione felt like Harry never really thought of her as a "girlfriend" per se. Yes, she was now his fiancé, but it still didn't sink into Harry's thick head that she needed attention every once and awhile, and not just attention when he wanted to try for the umpteenth time to get her to bed with him. She wanted the romance, and the thrill of knowing that she was on his mind and that he couldn't wait to rush home to her, even if it was just to cuddle on the couch and watch a movie.

She didn't blame Harry for any of this, it was just how their relationship had always been. It was so easy to transition from best friend to girlfriend and after awhile getting engaged had just seemed like the next step. She loved Harry to death and knew that she would be content in their life together. But that was just it…content? Who marries someone they imagine a contented life with? Hermione thought there was supposed to be more to it. She thought there should be excitement, an abundance of happiness, and hope for all the things that their future holds for them.

Unfortunately, Hermione just couldn't see that with Harry. Even more unfortunately she could perfectly envision all of those things with Draco Malfoy. Their time together at Hogwarts had been an adventure everyday. They never knew what the day would hold for them but they knew that they could make it through because they had each other and they couldn't wait for the times they could be together.

Hermione would even get ambushed by little paper airplanes in the halls and on them would be a note to let her know that someone was thinking about her. She always knew who that someone was.

She missed that, but she also figured that if someone really loved her that much then they would not have left her for two years and not bother getting in touch with her at all. That part still infuriated her and if he could do it so easily then who knew that he wouldn't do it again? Hermione resolved to not think about Draco and their past together. She was with Harry now and she would try her hardest to get excited about the wedding and to show everyone she was so happy she'd be Mary freakin' Poppins.

**I've got the next chapter of this ready to upload and post so you won't have to wait long to see what tests Hermione's new resolve. ;) hehehe**


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